The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
NCAA Finals
Tisher Caps Career at NCAA Championships
6/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
June 13, 2014
Championship Central | Schedule | Live Results | Performance Lists
NCAA Championships Coverage: ESPN3 | ESPNU (Friday and Saturday)
EUGENE, Ore. - UAB's Neal Tisher, an All-America transfer from Ole Miss, capped off her highly successful competitive career and an incredibly busy week on Friday at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field.
Tisher, a Mobile, Ala. native, transferred to UAB for medical school in 2013 and studied and trained her way through the 2013-14 season. She reset UAB's pole vault records, completed her first year of medical school and even set a new personal best mark of her own along the way.
After qualifying for the NCAA Championships at the NCAA East Prelims two weeks ago in Jacksonville, Fla., Tisher's season was far from over. She just completed her last final of the spring semester while training for the championships last Thursday and then flew to Maine on Friday for a medical conference, before flying west to Eugene just Thursday for the finals.
"Unfortunately Neal had a uncharacteristically not great day," head coach Kurt Thomas said. "We just couldn't quite get into a good rhythm running and jumping and at a big meet like this, there is little room for error. But, a poor day should not take away from an amazing season for Neal. Her balance of medical school at UAB and elite pole vaulting has been well documented. She's had about three bad days all year, unfortunately one was today. I'm really, really proud of her and what she's accomplished, while not knowing how this season could turn out in the beginning. She represented UAB well as a future doctor and as a champion."
The All-American, a student in UAB's medical school, qualified for the championships by vaulting to a 4.20m (13-9 ¼) at the prelims in Jacksonville, Fla. She cleared her first progression, the 3.90m, on her second attempt on Friday to complete her competitive career.
The transfer from Ole Miss reset UAB's pole vault record books this season and broke one her main goals in her career, joining the 14-foot club with a vault of 4.28m (14-0 ½) at the Conference USA Championships to break the six-year-old C-USA record.
UAB will be represented one more time at the NCAA Championships in the 5,000-meter final on Saturday. Elinor Kirk, who claimed a runner-up finish and earned All-America honors in the 10,000-meter run Thursday night, will run for a national title at 3:24 p.m. PT/5:24 p.m. CT at Hayward Field.
All of the action from Eugene will be available to watch live online at www.ESPN3.com or the WatchESPN app. Friday and Saturday's coverage from Hayward Field will also stream live on ESPNU in addition to ESPN3.
All information regarding the 2014 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships can be found by clicking the links above, or by visiting www.NCAA.com or www.GoDucks.com.
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